24 February 2011
We were up bright and early. We had hoped for absolute calm to take down the genoa and replace the chafed halyard that attached it to the top of the furler but even by 7am a breeze was blowing. Instead I busied myself doing laundry, housework, while David lifted the tender up into the davits, took down the poles and generally prepared Voyageur for sea. We had arranged a shoreside rendezvous with Irene and Dick, Jenny and John to have another wander around the town and lunch somewhere, someplace. By 9am it was so hot I had to take another shower.
Dick taxied us all ashore and off we went to locate the cemetery of all places which we could see from its position high on the hill overlooking the anchorage. However thirst got the better of us and passing the first bar we came across we dived in for a drink. Sorry the owner said, the beer wasn't cold enough. He waved us in the direction of another further along the road. Pub number two had no beer! We trudged wearily on. Well, it was a case of third time lucky but it was a tiny shop rather than a pub but it did have some beer and it was cold. He brought out chairs for us all and presented us with delicious tasty morsels of carved ham 'on the house'. I bought beautiful passion fruit for next to nothing. The owner obviously couldn't believe his luck for the minute we departed he shut up shop. We had spent 10.50 reais, on three, one litre bottles of beer. Could that have been his day's takings? When we eventually got to the graveyard it was pristine, a tiny church in its midst, the graves not only elaborate but loved and care for. We walked back to a riverside restaurant for lunch along narrow cobblestone streets. Now and again we would see a house spotlessly clean and tidy, an absolute hovel as its very next door neighbour. Mothers were walking their children to school. They were immaculately dressed their hair beautifully pleated. It is heart rending to see the really tough living conditions that so many of these people live in but at the same time they still make the effort to make the best of themselves, hard as it may be. I know I have said it before but we have been taken aback by the poverty of the country especially when the economy is so strong. It does just not add up. The lunch was really good, all freshly cooked and very inexpensive. We had thought we might have another stroll about town but the heat got the better of us. We returned to our boats for a siesta. A Lady arrived yesterday so all four boats got together for farewell sundowners aboard Voyageur as tomorrow we must be on our way to Recife.
Susan Mackay